Non-refillable bottle or package.



No. 851,006, PATENTEDAPR. 23, 1907.

' w. J. HIGMAN. I

NON-REFILLABLB BOTTLE 0R, momma.

APPLICATION FILED BBPT.17,1906.

WILLIAM J. IIIGMAN, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

NON-REFILLABLE BOTTLE OR PACKAGE.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed September 1 7, l 9 06. Serial No. 3 34,9 24.

To (.LZZ/ whom, it may concern.-

, Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. HIGMAN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful N oh-Refillable Bottle or Package, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to bottles of that class which are especially designed to prevent refilling by an unauthorized person with an inferior grade or a spurious liquid after a part or the whole of the original contents shall have been emptied from bottle or package.

The obj ect which I have in view is the provision of a simple and inexpensive construction which allows the bottle or package to be originally filled in an easy manner, after which the several parts may be quickly assembled to prevent access being obtainedto them for subsequent removal and at the same time allow the liquid to be easily and readily decanted.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of my improved non-refillable bottle. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the stopper-holding cap. 3 is a plan view of the sleeve which fits in the neck of the bottle. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of the valve-cover. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view thereof. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the cap upon which the valve rests. Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view on line 8 8 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 9 is a perspective view of'the ribbon-spring key that locks the stopper-cap and bottle together.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, in which I have illustrated only the top portion and the neck and entrance of a bottle, together with such elements as comprise my invention, numeral 1 designates a fragment of the top portion of a bottle; 2, its neck portion, which terminates in a mouth. On the outside of the entrance of the mouth a collar 3 is formed, and between this collar and the end of the neck a circumferential recess 4 is formed, which I term a keyway, and on the net k I lit a cap 5, which rests adjacent the collar 3 and is provided with a keyway 5, that registers with the keyway 4 in the neck of the bottle, and in this keyway I place two spring-keys 5 which are each made about half of the full size of the circumference of the keyway. These springkeys each comprise a band of spring-steel,

upper corner of the keyway in the neck of the bottle forming an abutment for the upper edge of the keys. cannot be withdrawn from the neck of the bottle after it is placed on the neck and is sprung down over the springs, as when the cap is moved down over the end of the neck the lower end of the cap strikes the outstanding fingers, and as it is pressed down they are sprung inward until the keyway of the cap registers opposite to them, when they spring outward into the keyway and against its lower corner. Two apertures 5 are formed on opposite sides of the cap into the keyway of the cap, and when the cap is placed over the neck a suitable fiuidcement 5 is poured into the apertures, and this cement flows around the fingers of the springs and fills the keyway and the apertures and hardens therein.

In the mouth of the neck of the bottle I place a sleeve 6, which fits loosely therein and is provided with an annular lip 7 at its top end, which rests on the top edge of the neck of the bottle on a washer 7. This sleeve is provided with a bottom 9, in which an axial aperture 10 is formed, the sides of which are beveled convergingly from the inside of the sleeve toward the outside. The lower end of the sleeve is provided with a circumferential groove 6*, in which a rubber washer 6 is Consequently the cap placed, which is adapted to bear resiliently several introverted guard-ribs 11 are formed, which extend from the edge of the aperture in the bottom of the sleeve, from which they have a slight outward incline to allow a goblet-shaped float 11, of rubber or other suitable material, to be inserted in the sleeve and to rest with its upper portion loosely between them and with its bottom base portion, which is in the form of a thin flexible semi spherical member, bearing against the aperture in the'bottom of the float-chamber, this construction permitting the float to rise from its seat a sufficient distance to permit the contents of the bottle to be easily poured out of the bottle past it. The upper end of this goblet-shaped float is preferably provided with a central aperture 11, which may be filled with cork 11 or other suitable floating material. These guard-ribs are all of even length, and on top of them I set a cap 12, having a depending rim, the inside of which is provided with a plurality of introverted guard-lips 18, that extend from its inner periphery to within a short distance of its center and rest directly on the ribs 11 of the float-chamber and on a step 11 formed in the sleeve 6. The ribs 11 are adapted to confine the float to the center of the chamber and at the same time to form passages for the liquid around it. The ribs 13 slope backward from their inner ends and join the cap on the edge of an aperture 14,formed through its top surface. These ribs also act to form passages for the liquid and also to prevent the float from approaching too near the liquid-outlet aperture 14 in the cap. The top of this cap is level and forms a valve-seat in a thimble portion 11 that forms an integral portion of the valve-seat and that extends up to the top of the sleeve and is provided with an annular lip portion 11 which rests on top of the sleeve 6. On this valve-seat I place a valve 15, which comprises a disk portion from which a conical portion projects at preferably an angle of forty-six degrees, although the valve may be made of any other angle, if desired Over the bottom of this disk portion I stretch a rubber Washer 15 which forms the seat of the valve, but may be dispensed with, if desired. The disk portion of this valve may be made longer in diameter, if desired, as there is ample room within the thimble portion of the valve-seat for a larger valve than is shown. Over this conical valve I place a spider-shaped member 16, which I term the valve-cap, Which comprises a central hub portion 17, from Which a is placed over the float.

vided with a concaved recess of slightly greater degree than the slope or level of the conical valve. The angle of the conical valve is preferably forty-six degrees, while 1 preferably make the slope of the inner recess edges of the valve-cap forty-five degrees, as this angle in the recess will keep the valve in position to cover the outlet-aperture in the float-cap when the bottle is standing on its bottom or is inclined below a horizontal angle not greater than forty-five degrees; but when turned to an angle of fortysix-degrees the recess will allow the valve to open to its fullest capacity. The wings of the valve-cap are of even height and extend above the hub portion to allow ample spaces between them for the liquid in the bottle to run out over the hub, and in the top of the cap 5 a stopperaperture 5 is formed, in which I place a stopper 19. This aperture in the cap is provided with an introverted lip 20, which secures the stopper against accidental displacement after it is pressed into the stopper-aperture of the cap.

A washer 21 is placed between the lip of the thimble portion of the valve-seat and the top of the sleeve 6, and a washer 22 is preferably placed between the top of the thimble of the valve-seat and a shouldered recess that is formed in thecap to extend over the lip of the thimble of the valve-seat. A shouldered recess is also formed in the cap to extend around the lip of the sleeve 6, and both of these shoulders are arranged to bear on the washers of their respective lips.

The operation is as follows: The bottle is filled before my non-refilling device is put into it; but after it is filled the sleeve, with its washer 6, is first pressed into the neck of the bottle. The float is then placed. in the float-chamber of the sleeve, and the cap 12 Then the conical valve is placed in the thimble on the valveseat, the valve-cap is placed over the valve, and the spring-keys are placed in the keyways of the bottle. The cap is then pushed down over them, and as it is pressed into place the fingers of the two springs, which are placed on opposite sides of the keyway of the bottle, fly outward into the keyway of the cap, when the two keyways register opposite each other. These spring-keys are made enough narrower than the width of the keyway to permit them to easily expand from the bottle into the keyway of the cap. A suitable cement is then inserted in the keyways through the apertures 5 and the cap is sealed to the bottle. The stopper 19 is then placed in the cap, or it may be placed in the cap prior to securing the cap to the botttle.

To pour out the liquid contents of a bottle equipped with my non-refillable device, first remove the stopper. Then turn thebottleneck downward substantially at or below an angle of forty-five degrees, when the liquid IIO will flow out freely. When the bottle is tilted to pour out its contents, the float lifts against the bottom of the valve-seat and the conical valve slides and tilts to the lowest side of the conical recess of the valve-cap, and the liquid flows past the float through the ribs 11 of the sleeve 6 and the ribs 13 of the cap or valve-seat through its central aperture past the conical valve and between the wings of the valve-cap around its hub portion and out through the stopper-cap. The construction of the valve-cap is such that it is impossible to insert a wire or anything around the valve-cap and in any way lift or move or manipulate the conical valve to refill the bottle, while the proportionate dimen- 810118 of the base of the conical valve and the liquid-discharge aperture 14 are such that the valve can slide in any direction and come in contact with the conical recess of the valve-cap and still cover the discharge-outlet 14, and should an attempt be made to force liquid into it by tipping the bottle upside down the semispherical bottom of the goblet-shaped float will rise up against its seat and prevent the entrance of any liquid into the bottle. If any attempt is made to force liquid into the bottle under pressure and it should by any means get past the valve, the float will rise and its disk-shaped base will wedge itself so tightly against the beveled sides of the inlet and outlet aperture 10 as to exclude the liquid from entering the bottle.

Patent, is

1. In a non-refillable bottle, the combination with a bottle-neck, having a circumferential keyway, of a cap fitting over said neck and provided with a keyway registering with said necks keyway, a pair of spring-bands arranged to fit in the keyway of said neck and having integral fingers which extend into the keyway of the cap, said keyways being filled with a hardening cement, after said cap and bands are in position.

2. In a non-refillable bottle, the combination with the bottle-neck, having a circumferential keyway adjacent to its end, and a collar surrounding said neck below said keyway, of a stopper-cap fitting over the end of said neck against said collar, having a keyway registering with the keyway in said neck, a pair of circumferential spring-bands having a plurality of integral finger portions on one edge thereof, which are bent down to lie at an angle to the band, said bands being arranged to bear in the keyway of said neck, while the fingers are arranged to bear with resilient tension in the keyway of said stopper-cap, said cap having apertures opening into saidkeyways, through which a cement filling is conveyed to said keyways.

3. In a non-refillable bottle, the combination with a bottle-neck, of a stopper-cap arranged to be secured and sealed to said neck, a valve-seat in said neck, having an inlet and outlet aperture, a conical valve having an extended disk-shaped base extending beyond the base of its conical portion, a rubber washer extending over said disk portion of said valve, a valve-cap positioned above said valve and provided with a conical recess in its bottom of larger diameter than the apex of said conical valve and arranged to lit loosely over the apex of said conical valve, fluidpassages being formed around said valvecap, and a stopper in said stopper-cap above said valve-cap.

4. In a non-refillable bottle, the combination with the bottle having a neck, of a stopper-cap secured and sealed to the outer side of said neck, a sleeve in said neck containing a float-chamber, a plurality of vertical flukes around the sides of said chamber, forming channels which terminate in a tapering inlet and outlet aperture in the bottom of said sleeve, a goblet-shaped float in the chamber of said sleeve, having a disk-shaped base portion fitting the tapering aperture in said sleeve and arranged to close the same against inward-flowing fluids, said goblet -shaped float being provided with an aperture in its upper portion, a cork float in said aperture, a valve-seat resting on said sleeve, having an axial aperture and flukes depending from it and adapted to be engaged by the top of said sleeves float, a valve slidably mounted on said valve-seat, having an upward conical central portion and a disk-shaped base portion of larger diameter than said conical portion, a rubber covering on said disk portion, a valve-cap over said valve arranged to define said valves opening and closing movements, fluid passages being formed around said valve-cap, a stopper-aperture being formed in said stopper-cap having an introverted lip, and a stopper fitting in said stopper-aperture over said lip.

5. In a non-refillable bottle, the combination of a bottle, and its neck, and a stoppercap provided with a stopper keyed and sealed to said bottles neck, with a sleeve in said neck, a goblet-shaped float in said sleeve, a valve-seat in the upper end of the sleeve, a conical valve slidably seated on said valve-seat, and a valve-cap arranged to control the opening and closing movements of said valve.

' 6. In a non-refillable bottle, the combinati on of a bottle, having a circumferential keyway in its neck, and a collar below said keyway, with a stopper-cap arranged to fit over said neck containing a stopper-inlet, an introverted lip in said stopper-inlet, and a keyway registering with said necks keyway, and ribbon-keys in said neck-keyway provided with projecting spring-fingers arranged to extend into the keyway of said cap.

7. In a non-refillable bottle, the combina' tion with a bottle, having an open-neck portion, of a cap arranged to be secured and ce .inented to said neck, a sleeve resting on the top of said neck and depending Within said neck, and provided with an axial fioatcha1n ber, having ribs forming fluid passages around the side of said chamber, a valveseat resting on top of said float-chamber, a float in said float-chamber below said valveseat, a valve slidably and tiltingly mounted on said seat, and a valve-cap resting on said valve-seat and arranged to define the operative movements of said valve, and provided with fluid-passages in its peripheral surface,

and washers between said cap and neck and sleeve and valve-seat and valve-cap.

8. In a non-refillable bottle, the combination with a bottle, of a sleeve in the neck of said bottle, a float in said sleeve, a valve-seat in said sleeve, having a liquid-outlet, and a conical valve provided with an enlarged diskbase, mounted on said seat, to control said liquid-outlet, a spider-cap in said sleeve over said valve, hav ing a hub portion containing a conical recess arranged to fit over said valve and to control, said valves operative movement, and means for confining said spiderin said sleeve, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM J. HIGMAN.

Vitnesses:

G. SARGENT ELLIOTT, ADELLA M. FowLE. 

